Two Sides of the Same Sun
by Thing2BK
Summary: America was caught cheating on Japan. Severely pissed off, he starts driving and ends up in Canada. Said nation decides to hear him out, and help him through the heartbreak... better than it sounds I hope.
1. Chapter 1

He didn't know where he was going, nor did he really care. As long as he was away from that stupid American, he'd be fine. It wasn't like Japan to do stupid things like this; after all, he always thought things through, never leaving a single option unchecked. And yet… how on Earth had he ended up in a relationship with America? They'd been such good friends, but they went and gave that up, ruining it for the shot at something more.

And now even that was gone.

So now he was driving to who knew where, trying to clear up everything that had happened, but at the same time, he didn't even want to think about it.

Nothing looked familiar anymore. From the last town he stopped in, he guessed he was in Michigan. Now, he could see a large bridge ahead. 'Maybe crossing water will be far enough.' He though, smiling a little at the thought. But his dark eyes narrowed in suspicion when he approached a row of booths, all marked _Please have I.D. ready. _Frowning, he dug through the glove compartment for his passport, which he handed over to the woman behind the glass.

"Where're you from?" She asked casually.

"Japan." He replied hesitantly.

"What're you doing so far from home?"

He felt his face darken over. "Visiting a friend."

She handed the passport back. "Have a nice day." She said with a smile, and Japan continued through. What he emerged to was probably the nicest town he'd seen in a while. Small, without being the middle of nowhere, yet nothing as crowded as cities he was used to. It was a nice change, not that he could enjoy it much, with his current mood. He finally settled on a coffee place, and sat at a table, finally letting the depression get the best of him.

"Japan?" He looked up, startled at the soft voice. He nearly stood up in a rare burst of anger, until he realized the blond in front of him wasn't America.

"Sorry. Who are you?"

"Canada. Don't tell me you didn't notice you crossed an international border. We're not _that _relaxed."

He thought about the trip over the bridge. He vaguely remembered seeing another flag, but just the sight of those stars and stripes had made his stomach churn, and he didn't really notice the other. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Canada sighed, sitting down across from him. "But what's wrong? You look really…" He broke off at a loud cheer of joy.

"Mattie!" A small brunette called, flinging her arms around the nation's neck. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Hey Lynn. Sorry, I've been busy."

The girl was clearly human, yet she obviously knew Canada well. She was nervously fiddling with the zipper on her windbreaker as they talked, and her cheeks were flushed a brilliant red, though she tried to hide it behind her glasses. Japan found himself recalling that America had never talked to his people like this, unless it was at a club, or bar. But this almost looked like they'd grown up together…

"So you'll come see _Grease _next week?" Lynn was asking, smiling hopefully.

"Wouldn't miss it, though they do it way too much in this city."

"I know!" She agreed, wrinkling her nose. "It would've been way more fun to do _Les Miserable _but _Grease _is just everyone's most favorite show of all time… I'm really glad I opted not to audition this year."

"Well you'll make a great stage manager."

"I hope so. Well, see you then."

"Bye." As the girl left, he turned back to Japan, tilting his head at the confused look on the smaller man's face. "What?"

"How do you interact so easily with humans? To the point where you look like best friends?"

"Does is really look like that?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I guess it's just nice to be able to feel normal once in awhile, y'know? They're much friendlier in the smaller towns than in Toronto or Ottawa."

"I suppose the same goes for my home. I've never really talked to them much."

"So tell me what's wrong. Did something happen with Al?"

Japan winced. He'd hit the nail on the head. "I don't want to talk about it here."

"Right." Amethyst eyes gave the busy place a quick scan, and the Canadian downed the rest of his coffee. "But talking about it might help. I have a place in town, you wanna come and try?"

He flashed the younger man a grateful smile, and stood up. "Thank you."

{}}{{}

"I'll admit, I was pretty surprised when you two got together." Canada was murmuring, as they sat down in his living room. "But it didn't seem like anything was wrong."

"I suppose we shouldn't have tried taking it to the next level in the first place. We were fine as it was, but we got greedy."

"You mean _he_ did, right?"

Japan blinked in surprise at the statement. "Why would you assume only he-?"

"It's not like you to take any more than you believe to be right. Al on the other hand… he'd take anything he could to satisfy his own desires. I hate to be cruel to him, he's my closest brother, but he really is an ass." The blond smiled weakly, a gesture Japan struggled to return.

"He wasn't at first…" He thought about the way America had looked when he asked him if, in his words, _'It would be totally okay if we went out?'_ The way his bright eyes had shone in anticipation, though the rest of his face struggled to stay calm. His hands tugging nervously at the edges. The very image had been absolutely adorable, and Japan, being a sucker for adorable, had been completely unable to say no.

For the first few months, it had been perfect. The American had been so careful in every way, something he never did with any other nation. He didn't do anything that could offend, or hurt Japan, even though he was the younger one in the relationship. The immense effort shown in their daily lives had flattered him. But looking back, that was probably the only thing he'd felt for the blond. Other than that, there was no spark behind the kisses, nothing special to the gifts.

"He changed I suppose. Thought that if he changed himself to be perfect at first, I wouldn't notice as that self faded." He was surprised to see Canada nodding in understanding. "You've seen him do that before?"

Again, he nodded. "When I first came to England's house as a colony. He was acting as the perfect brother, but after a couple months, he revealed himself as the biggest brat I've ever known."

"It's true, exactly like that."

"But while that could bring you to a break-up, it doesn't explain why you were upset enough to cross an international border without even noticing, and you looked ready to kill me when you thought I was my brother."

"It's embarrassing to admit." The excuse seemed lame, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he looked at the genuine concern in Canada's eyes, and knew he could tell the younger man the truth. "He was cheating on me." He muttered. For a brief moment, he saw red as anger fueled the words alone. "With Lithuania."

"I thought so." The blond said gravely. "He was spending a lot more time overseas than normal for him, I figured something was up."

"They were in the house." He said bitterly. "I dropped by to make sure he wasn't watching more horror movies on his own… and there they were." He pulled his knees to his chin, something he hadn't done since he was small, getting scared and depressed whenever China had gotten really mad at him. "There they were." He repeated quietly.

Canada watched the smaller nation, not knowing anything he could possibly say. There was nothing that could ever make his brother's actions right, and no way to comfort someone when they were this heartbroken. "Would you like to stay here a couple days? Figure everything out?" He offered. Time heals all wounds after all.

Again, Japan nodded gratefully. He wasn't ready to be alone in his own home just yet, and as he looked at the nation whose existence he'd so often overlooked, he realized how calming his company had been.

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Thanks for reading! Never eat a Mars bar after eating a Twix… it tastes funny.

I wasn't going to make this a series, it was just a one shot that came to mind, but for some reason I can never stand to write something insanely long (Except for my Glass Fleet Hetalia crossover, which is coming quite beautifully I might add) and so, I've decided to make it a mini series kay? Hopefully it won't distract me from Until You're Mine for too long, but having other stuff to work on tricks myself into thinking I don't have writer's block. (Which means less rolling around the floor, in frustration.)

Hope you like it, reviews make life happy!


	2. Chapter 2

Japan had only stayed with Canada for a couple weeks, but that had been more than enough time to fully realize how different he was from his brother. Not just in personality, but the little choices they made were polar opposites. While Al would chug Coca Cola down by the bucketful, Matthew preferred Pepsi. He'd also rather a homemade meal to fast food, but if there was no other choice, he'd pick A&W or Harvey's, whereas names like that were nearly blasphemous in America's almost entirely McDonald's and Burger King based diet.

But the biggest difference by far, was the smile. Where Al would choose to grin like the goofy idiot he was, the Canadian wore a peaceful smile that somehow managed to light up the entire room.

Well, that, and he couldn't stand the reality TV his brother seemed to love so much.

After an endless stream of thanks for his hospitality, Japan left for home. The place seemed so foreign after such a long time, but he was almost back to his usual self when he saw the months' worth of dust that had gathered, and he set off into a whirlwind of cleaning. He was almost completely over the fiasco with Al thanks to said American's own brother.

So why was he alone with Al in a hallway again, pressed against a wall?

"I said I was sorry! I was an idiot, and it will never happen again. Can't you forgive me?" America pleaded. There was that look. Those puppy dog eyes that shattered Japan's normally blank exterior. He shut his eyes, trying so desperately to forget those eyes. Forcing himself to see the lust that glazed over the blues when he'd looked at Lithuania. But that voice was piercing his resolve. "Please, Kiku. I can change. I'll break off all ties with Toris if it would change your mind."

"That wouldn't change a thing!" He shouted, still refusing to open is eyes. "You'll always let your eyes wander to someone else!"

"Never! That was one time, and I could never hurt you again like I did. I can't apologize enough for what I did."

"No, you can't."

"Can't you give me a chance to change?"

"I don't think so Alfred." He managed, finally letting his dark eyes meet America's. "You can't change. I know that now."

"Oh yeah? And who's got you so sure about that? If it's Yao telling you that I'm untrustworthy, that debt has got nothing to do with how I handle my relationships!"

"It was me, actually." The two looked up at Canada's sudden interruption. A look of gratitude washed over Japan's face while America just looked shocked.

"You've been talking with him Mattie?"

Before he could respond to the sudden accusation, Japan practically leapt between the two. "I went to Canada for help after…the fact."

"So _he's _been telling you that I'm not capable of change!" The blond was getting angry now, something most nations shied away from. But never Canada.

"I just helped him figure it out for himself Al. You hurt him and that's all there is to it." The others were both surprised at the harsh tone in Canada's voice. His brother was used to being able to ignore him, while Japan had grown accustomed to his near-constant smiles, and kind words.

America let his surprise fade, and the cold anger return. "Fine then. Conspire away, it won't do you any good." And he turned to leave, forcing a rough kiss on Japan before doing so.

Matthew scowled at the blond's retreating figure. Trying to get him back after all he'd done was one thing. His brother was an idiot, he pretty much saw it coming, but for him to practically force himself onto the quiet man who could no more push him away than a child could push away a rampaging elephant. It was just…

"Unforgivable."

"What?"

The Canadian blinked in surprise, realizing that he'd spoken out loud. Japan was slightly red-faced, but otherwise pretending nothing had happened, just looking confused. So in answer, he cleared his throat, and gave a quick smile. "Nothing. Now come on, we'll be late for the conference." There was a faint tone of bitterness as he added. "They'll be wondering where you are."

"You too." The smaller man said quickly.

"Not me. You didn't even know who I was two weeks ago. Why should everyone else?" And with that, he headed off towards the high-ceilinged room.

Japan couldn't help but think of something America had told him. Back when everything was okay, and they could talk freely at all hours of the night.

_'We've all got ways of coping with the daily fears nations go through. You hide your emotions, Latvia shrank. It's usually not intentional, or even something we can control. It just…happens.'_

At the time, he didn't think he'd completely understood the idea. How could fear make someone shrink? Now he got it. Canada didn't want to be invisible at all, he just was. It was just his way of dealing with what they all had to go through.

So he looked over at Canada, whose depressed expression had faded back to his normal, almost curious one. "I've noticed when you weren't there before."

"Really?" There was a flicker of happiness behind the surprise. "Well there was that one time at the G8 meeting, but I thought that was just a fluke."

On an impulse, Japan reached out and took Canada's hand in his own. "Never." He murmured with a smile.

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Thanks for reading!

Let's consider this my Christmas present to all of you. If you don't celebrate Christmas… um… I got nothing; just don't get mad at me.

So I've been insanely lazy lately, but am jacked to finally be done school for the break, huzzah! And now that I've got a larger group, I'm even more jacked to go to Anime North in May! Vic Mignogna's going to be there! Words cannot fully express my joy! ^-^

So uh… yeah, reviews would make my day, just like season 1 of Death Note is going to make my Christmas… Yay snooping!

Anyway… let me know if it sucked or not, and I'll try to actually write faster this time. Bye!


	3. Chapter 3

Canada blinked in surprise at the sudden action. But he didn't pull away. If anything, he held on tighter. "Merci."

They did have to let go when they arrived at the hall, and walked in. As usual, Japan was dragged away to go sit with his siblings, Korea being the most enthusiastic. Normally Canada would go sit with Al, but his brother wasn't too happy with him, so he took an empty chair next to Francis, who barely needed to glance at him before he knew something was up.

"So Mathieu! Who is the lucky one who has your affections?"

"Wh-what are you talking about? There's nothing going on at all. No affections, nothing at all, I swear!"

This earned him a blank stare from the lanky blond. "You really expect me to believe that?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

Sighing, France began scanning the nations around the table. He knew England, America, and himself were right out. Canada had never shown anything but platonic love towards his family. The same went for all the stepsiblings.

The list of possibilities grew shorter, and shorter until finally his blue eyes fell on the cluster of Asians, and he trailed one pair of eyes straight back to Matthew. "So how long have you been crushing on Japan?" He asked brightly.

Canada instantly flushed bright red. "You know I hate that word papa. It sounds like some third grader who likes the art teacher."

"Repond la question Mathieu." He ordered, making the Canadian wince. France giving him a sudden order in French was the equivalent of a normal parent using their child's middle name. It indicated that he meant business.

"I don't know. I couple days I guess."

"Ah! So l'amour is still fresh! I am so happy for you!" He stopped for a moment, realizing something. "But what will your brother say?"

"Al doesn't know. And if he did, I'm sure he'd find away to nuke my home. Either convince his boss that we have weapons of mass destruction or something, or break in and do it himself."

France had to chuckle at the image of America trying to figure out how to set off nukes by himself, but other than that, this could be fairly serious. " You should talk to him yourself. Better to let him know rather than he find out later should you actually take over from where he left off."

Canada let his eyes flick over to where his brother was arguing casually with England. He really didn't want to, but he knew the minor anger a conversation like that would cause would be nothing compared to the complete rage he'd be faced with otherwise. "I suppose you're right."

"Of course I'm right. Talk to him after the conference."

"Okay papa."

{}}{{}

"H-hey Al?"

Blue eyes, surprisingly cold, snapped up right away. "What do you want?"

"J-just to t-talk, okay?"

He looked suspiciously at the blond in front of him, and then gave in. "Okay. What do you wanna talk about bro?" He indicated the chair beside him, recently vacated by England.

"Actually, I'm here to apologize. My emotions got the better of me back there, but please know that I was only thinking of Japan."

America snorted at that, but his eyes were clouded with pain. "I gotcha. Sorry, I really was an ass."

Hearing his brother apologize really was something new. Somehow, Canada couldn't bring himself to tell his brother that he could be developing feelings for the man he'd only gotten to know because the poor guy ha shown up at his home practically in tears because of said brother. "Thanks Al. It means a lot to hear you say that."

"Yeah, yeah. Now get out of here before I find another reason to beat you, kay?"

"Sure." Smiling a little, he stood up, and headed for the door, casting his brother one last glance before leaving the now empty hall. Once he was around the corner, he made a low, frustrated growling noise, and ruffled his hair. "How the hell can I break it to him?"

"Break what to him?" He looked up with a start to see Japan peering at him curiously.

"Ah, nothing. Just Al being…Al."

The smaller man chuckled at that. Somehow, just the idea of the American moving on always seemed to help Kiku do the same. Every laugh and smile lightened Canada's heart.

"You hungry at all?" He suddenly asked.

"I could eat." Japan answered with a shrug. "Why?"

"Let's go have dinner. Italy was going on and on about this new restaurant in the area, I thought it'd be nice to try it out."

After a few confused blinks, he got a reply in the form of a warm smile, and a nod. "Sounds fun."

The two headed for the streets, each with their own smile that meant something to the wearer only. Completely unaware that they were under the watchful, and more angry than curious, gaze of a certain American.

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Thanks for Reading!

I've been very lazy lately, but here it is! Whatever will happen next? Well, I have absolutely no idea; I make this up as I go!

Reviews make me très contante! Merci, and wish me luck on my upcoming French exam!


	4. Chapter 4

Canada hummed quietly to himself as he packed his large red suitcase for the trip, as well as the black hiking backpack as his carry-on. Despite his boss' protests, he was going to be spending a couple weeks at Japan's place. Harper was really becoming a pain recently. He needed to let loose every once in awhile. Just as he finished up, the phone rang from the kitchen.

"Hello?"

"Mattie! You're coming to play video games with me and Tony this weekend right?"

"Actually. I-I'm going on a trip. I'll be gone for a few weeks."

"Where're you going bro? Come on, tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"Al, if I tell you, you'll show up first and get in the way, you know you will."

"But I just wanna hang out with my favorite little bro and his friends. Is that so wrong?"

He sighed, knowing a lost cause when he saw one. "I'm going to Japan, Al. Happy?"

The line went silent for a while. The only thing that told Canada that his brother hadn't hung up was the faint sound of Tony playing something with the volume up to max. Finally, America sighed and answered, "Okay. Have fun Mattie. Give me a call when you get back."

"S-sure. Beat Tony a few times for me."

"Will do." The last words came out as barely a whisper, and they both hung up without a single word of farewell.

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"You look tense. Was the flight that hard?" The first words out of Japan's mouth as soon as Canada got off the plane.

"No, no. It's nothing, really." He waved it off, heading towards the baggage claim.

"If you say so." The smaller man murmured. "So, where would you like to go first?"

"Ah, if you don't mind, I'd just like to rest for a little. The jet lag…" As if to prove his point, a large yawn escaped his mouth.

"Of course. I should have thought as such."

{}}{{}

Once they arrived at the large building that was Japan's home, Japan produced some handmade rice balls he'd made that morning. "You can take a bath before bed if you'd like. It should help relax you."

"That sounds really nice right now, you have no idea." The blond said with a sigh like he was already feeling the stress melt away.

And melt away it did. The second he slid into the hot water, it was like the entire conversation with Alfred disappeared. His glasses fogged up, making him jump. He really must've been more stressed out than he thought to forget to take them off. His view went fuzzy, and then black as he shut his eyes in content.

After awhile, he decided it would be better to get out before he turned into a prune. The Canadian was surprised to see a kimono laid out carefully for him. Perching his glasses carefully on his small nose, he lifted it to examine it closely. It was a bright red, with a spray of white maple leaves. He smirked at how planned it seemed. He would have been deeply touched if it hadn't looked so feminine.

"Red really is your colour." Japan noted from his place outside.

"Thanks Kiku. Mind if I join you?"

"Go ahead."

For a moment, the two sat in complete silence. As if foreseeing his arrival, Japan had prepared a cup of tea for the blond as well. The sky was cloudier than normal, with only a few stars, and a sliver of the moon visible, but it was still just as calming as a clear night.

It was then that Canada also noticed that his height must be all in the legs, as when was kneeling, the two were the same height.

He was about to point this out, when the dark-haired man turned to him, with a strange glow in his eye. "Matthew?"

"Yes?"

Without answering, he inched foreword, and their lips met softly.

If asked, Japan would have said there was an indescribable sweetness behind it. Even more so than the maple syrup he always had. He held his eyes open just long enough to watch Canada's violet ones slide shut.

They sat like that for what felt like an eternity, before finally pulling away, both red-faced, and almost looking to the other for approval.

"I-I don't know what to…" The blond breathed.

"I'm sorry. I had to try, just once."

"I know." Canada placed his hand over Japan's smaller one, and smiled. "I understand."

"Thank you."

That night, as Matthew lay on the futon, he couldn't shake the feeling that coursed through his whole body. Well, two feelings, really. The first was inexplicable happiness. The second?

Absolute terror at what would happen should America discover this.

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Thanks for reading!

Yay, new chapter out, I can stop procrastinating and study now!

I do feel really bad about all of them being so short. I do have a three-page minimum, but it sometimes doesn't seem like enough.

Oh well, reviews = my happiness, I do not lie.


	5. Chapter 5

The two had silently agreed to keep the whole thing quiet for a little while. The two were excessively quiet as it was, so it really wasn't that difficult. In public, nothing changed except perhaps an extra smile here and there, which no one but France could pick up on. And Francis was a little preoccupied with single nations rather than couples.

"Hey Mattie! Whaddya want on your half of the pizza?"

Canada didn't even glance up from Call of Duty. "Whatever, I don't really care!" He would never quite figure out why his brother always insisted on splitting the pizza instead of just getting deluxe on the whole thing, which it what they always ended up doing anyway,

"Hey! You better not be killing me while I'm gone!" America snapped.

The Canadian quickly dropped his controller, and slapped the pause button on Al's beside it. "Why would I do that?" He asked innocently.

Rolling his eyes, America walked back to the kitchen muttering something about 'damn snipers'.

As soon as his brother was gone again, Canada reached to hit play again, but decided against it. Now that Al wasn't on the phone, he would definitely hear his brother shooting him over and over again from the windows. Instead, he pulled out his phone, and lazily started texting Kiku. He wasn't terribly fond of texting. Maybe he was just old like that, preferring more conventional methods of communication.

"You were too killing me!" Al shouted, glaring at the screen.

"No way! I don't need to cheat to kick your ass!"

"But you did! There were three minutes left on the clock when I left, now there's only two minutes!"

He scowled at the fact that his brother was actually being intelligent for once. "Well I just thought I'd give myself a good head start."

"Well if you were scared I'd beat you, you could've just said so."

Canada stuck out his tongue at his brother, and hit play again, shooting the other character square between the eyes.

"Hey Al, can I talk to you?"

"Sure Mattie. What's on your mind?"

"I-it's about Japan."

He froze, and then relaxed, hoping the blond hadn't noticed. "What about him?"

"I should've told you before but… we're going out."

So many emotions flashed across America's face. Some, Matthew didn't think he could name. Anger was there of course, but so was hurt, confusion, maybe even a bit of fear. "Okay."

"I'm really sorry Al." He offered weakly.

"It's not your fault. You can't control feelings Matthew."

That got him worried. First of all, America never said anything that understanding. And second, he _never _called his brother Matthew. Even when they were kids, it was either Mattie, or bro. "Maybe I should go."

"Why? You came over to hang out. Let's just forget you said anything and hang out, kay?"

"O-okay." He sat back down, looking nervously at his brother, who just grinned and hit play again.

After a few minutes of silence, America paused the game again, and clapped Matt on the shoulder. "So that's why you were being so supportive." Canada jumped, but calmed down when he saw Alfred was smiling happily, something he hadn't done in awhile. The instant that realization hit him, so did America, in the form of a full-body tackle, like when they were kids.

"Al! Come on! Get off!" He grunted, struggling under the heavy American. "You're fat!"

"You take that back!"

Canada rolled over, grabbing his brother's face, and pulling it tight. "Never!"

After ten minutes of the scuffle, the doorbell rang, and both blonds jumped to their feet. "Pizza's here!" Al grinned, racing for the door.

Matthew smiled, breathing an inward sigh of relief. He was glad his brother was taking it so well, even a little bit happy for him. After months of tension, they were back to being like brothers.

{}}{{}

"So what movie do you wanna watch while we eat?" Alfred was asking, already with a slice shoved in his mouth.

"Hm? Whatever." He mumbled, pulling out his phone again. He'd just told Japan that he'd broken the news.

_How did he take it?_

Pretty well, real- "Hey! Alfred, you give that back!"

"But you're ignoring me, so I'm gonna snoop through your texts." He pouted.

"You're such a child!" He reached for the phone, but Al was standing on the couch, making that impossible.

"Hey you wanna ask Kiku if he wants to chill out here too?"

The blood drained from Canada's face at that. "You're not serious…"

"What?" He paused to think about it, and then his face screwed up, and he shook his head quickly. "You and your dirty mind Mattie! That's just…no."

"Thank goodness, you scared me."

After a moment's pause, America continued. "But if, and this is entirely hypothetical, _if _that was what I was thinking…"

This earned him a smack upside the head. "No way in hell. Now gimmie back my phone you dumb pervert."

"Fine, fine. Hey! Let's watch _Zombie Land_!"

"And have you clinging onto me for two hours and call me every other hour after I get home because you're having nightmares? No thanks."

He rolled his eyes dramatically. "Jeez Mattie, it's a _comedy_, not a horror movie."

"Then you go right ahead and hit play, but I'm sitting on the chair over here."

America pouted again, but admitted defeat, and hit play, hugging a pillow to his chest as he did so. "I'll show you who's gonna get scared!"

"We'll see."

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"And that's how you ended up here again." Japan noted, handing Canada the tea.

"Yeah, he nearly crushed me about three times within the first half hour. I had to go somewhere where he wouldn't keep calling me to check under the bed for zombies."

The smaller man chuckled quietly. "I remember he used to do that a lot too."

"Ah well. I feel so much more relaxed now that he knows, and is okay with it."

"I see what you mean."

With one last smile, Matthew stood up and yawned. "I think I'm going to get some sleep."

"Alright. See you in the morning. We'll have to be up early for the conference. As the host nation I can't be late."

"Of course." As he left, Canada bent over to kiss him lightly on the cheek. "Good night."

Despite the mild weather, it was fairly cool inside the large house. About halfway through the night, Canada woke up shivering, and decided to suck up his courage for once, and he crept out to the adjacent room.

"K-Kiku?"

Japan sat up slowly, and looked blankly at him for a minute before quite assessing the moment. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, I was just wondering…If it's not too much to ask, I mean I don't want to make it awkward or anything but… it's kind of cold and…"

He smiled in understanding, and flipped over one corner of the blankets. "There shouldn't be anything awkward about it, right?"

He burrowed under the blankets, and nodded. "Right."

Within minutes, the two were asleep, lying face to face, with the soft moonlight pouring through the windows.

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"I probably could've slept for another hour." Canada yawned as they walked through the hall to the conference room. "Or two." He added, grinning slightly.

Japan murmured an agreement. His vision was wavering too. "I don't know why these meetings have to be so early in the morning."

"Maybe it's because we're old, and old people are supposed to like waking up early." They laughed quietly, jumping as a pair of arms draped over their shoulders.

"Oui, I've decided I'll give my blessing!" France said happily.

"Wh-what're you talking about papa?" Matthew asked, just as Kiku murmured, 'what blessing?'

"That's just what I mean!" He gave their shoulders a squeeze. "You're just too cute! But don't worry Mathieu, I promise not to breath a word to our Hungary."

The blond snorted. "Like that'll make a difference. I swear she can _smell _stuff like this."

"You mean like a gaydar?" America asked suddenly, walking up to the three.

"Exactly. Except it works long-distance too."

As if on cue, the slim brunette came racing into the room, ever-present camera in hand. She was beaming. "There's the happy couple now!"

"The power of a yaoi fangirl." Japan murmured in what sounded vaguely like awe.

"Actually, that'd be the power of Twitter." Alfred said brightly, holding up his phone to his page. "Everyone kinda knows." After one look at his brother's face, he cringed. "What? You didn't expect me to let you go completely free, did you? After all, you did abandon me in my moment of weakness."

"I really shouldn't have, but I did." Canada sighed. "Well, might as well get this over with."

There were so many calls of congratulations, it was nearly deafening. Canada really wasn't used to being that recognized. Not once, was America's name mentioned in the noise. It was a different feeling, without any real description.

It was probably the best conference he remembered, even if it was a little bit embarrassing to be under the constant gaze of all those eyes.

{}}{{}

"You'll call when you get back?" Japan asked, probably for the fifth time that evening. After that quick confidence boost, they'd both reverted to their quiet selves.

"You know I will." He reassured the smaller man. "The minute I'm in my car in the parking lot, okay?"

"Of course."

As the plane took off, Canada stared calmly out the window, amethyst eyes watching the setting sun. And he started to think. He didn't suppose he'd ever smiled or laughed as much as when he'd been with Japan. He hadn't ever worried as much either, but that was all water under the bridge now.

Their homes were so far apart. Even the sun was only in both places for tiny windows of time, and only at some times of the year.

He had an odd habit, whenever they were apart. He didn't remember when it started. Maybe once they were together. Maybe it had been when Japan had first shown up in his home. But whenever they were apart, he would always watch the sun as long as he could, imagining Japan looking at the moon, and vice versa.

Smiling, he closed his eyes and started to drift off, grateful now more than ever that he had a complete idiot for a brother.

{}}+{{}

Thanks for reading~!

Yep, that's it, the end. Thanks to everyone who followed this from the beginning, I appreciate you greatly! (Which, by the way is my way of saying you are the greatest people in the world. I rarely say 'I appreciate you' to anyone, so if that's any indicator of how happy you guys make me…)

I'll leave this as 'In-progress' just incase I come up with any extra story ideas to throw on the end, so if this ending seems abrupt, there's always those to look foreword too.

Review please! My email inbox has been rather bare lately, and it depresses me.

By the way, I don't own Hetalia… I haven't put one of these on in ages, but I still don't. Trust me if I did, you'd know.

Bynii~!


	6. Side Chapter 1

Japan was getting a little annoyed at the other nations, something very rare for him. But this was a serious matter at hand.

Others were flirting with Canada.

Others were flirting with _his _Canada.

He wasn't normally possessive, but when it came to certain things, there was no way he was going to back down. Like his extensive anime and manga collection. He'd kill anyone who breathed on it, or even looked at it funny. And wasn't just one little time this had happened.

Oh no, it was seven. Seven. Damn. Times.

Prussia had shown up once for pancakes while Japan was there, and _then_ went and licked a bit of stray maple syrup off of Canada's nose. The blond had blushed and managed a stammered, 'What the hell Gil?'

France showed up drunk, and walked right in, attempting to strip Canada without so much as a second thought, claiming that 'my boy is lacking in l'amour, don't deny it, I can smell it!' And he wound up sobbing into his son's shoulder about Arthur kicking him out.

Russia was inviting him to more and more hockey games than usual. And while that alone would leave Japan suspicious, especially seeing as he always insisted they go alone, as Japan doesn't enjoy hockey as much, he always had that arrogant look in his eyes as they left.

Cuba always showered the Canadian with gifts of ice cream, and various other things, but once he gave him two tickets for a cruise, and hinted that he wanted Canada to go with _him_ rather than Japan.

And then there was Ukraine, and Italy, and England. And who knows how many others could have eyes for him? It was torture for him, just thinking about it.

But Kiku had a master plan.

{}}{{}

He waited patiently until everyone was in the conference room for the meeting. The long table in the middle of the room was usually the last place the nations went to, as they'd be stuck there for a good four hours, and didn't want to be there any longer than they had to. But this was where Japan made a beeline for right away, with a confused Canada trailing behind by his hand.

Once they got to the table, motioned for the Canadian to sit on it, which he did, still looking completely lost. Once seated, Japan pushed a long kiss on him, pushing back until they were both on top of the dark oak surface.

"Kiku, what're you -?" He cut off his lover's protest by reaching for the unruly curl on top of his head, and rubbing it firmly between his fingertips, making him pant, and turn even brighter red as he continued kicking and licking his neck.

Others were beginning to notice. Some looked absolutely mortified, (England, and Austria) some mildly intrigued, (France) and others, just in absolute shock. Were they drunk or something? It wasn't until Japan looked up and glared at all of them that the message became crystal clear.

He's mine!

He kept up the display until there was a loud scream, and Hungary fainted, likely from yaoi-overload. Kiku smirked in satisfaction, and helped the dazed Canada off the table, and over to a water fountain in the hallway, still with every eye following them.

"What was all that about?" He gasped, face beet red, and eyes flashing.

"Don't worry, everything's fine now." The smaller man assured him with a little smile.

He sighed, convinced that was all he'd ever know about the incident, and gingerly touched his curl, wincing at how sore it was. "It's the video games." He muttered, glancing sideways at Japan, who was now talking with Hungary, likely apologizing for his actions, and asking for pictures. "He plays way too many dating sims."

{}}+{{}

Thanks for reading~! (See? I promised side stories, didn't I?) Fun fact: Mardi Gras actually translates to Fat Tuesday, which fits, because we stuff our faces with pancakes, and get fat~! Just thought I'd share that with everyone.

Special thanks to cross-over-lover232 for wishing this into existence. I don't know how many times I read that review because it just made me smile.

Hope you enjoyed it!


	7. Side Chapter 2

Canada was pacing nervously around his apartment in Ottawa. The soft carpet, which was usually a squishy comfort, was now more of an annoyance. He didn't _want _to be comforted. He just wanted to be told that everything was going to be okay. (Which was also a form of comforting, but in a more productive way.) He stopped and glared at the phone on the wall, and then his cell on the couch, willing them to ring. But there was only a heavy silence.

Sighing, he flopped into the big black office chair in front of his computer, and booted it up, praying for an email when he opened the Internet browser. "Come on, come on…Shit." There wasn't a single message. If anything, the computer was mockingly telling him that 'he had a very clean inbox.' It made him want to punch the screen, and scream at it.

He spun around in the chair, and flicked on the TV. Everything on the news was about the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. Just _looking_ at everything that was happening there was making him want to cry. "Please be okay." He whispered to himself.

"He'll be fine." The Canadian looked down to see Kumajirou padding up to him. The polar bear jumped up to his lap, and curled up. "Don't worry."

"Thanks Kuma." He murmured, stroking the bear's fur to calm himself. "I just hope you're right."

{}}{{}

The blond's head snapped up as the phone rang. He hadn't even noticed he'd fallen asleep in the chair, but it really was comfy. He leapt to his feet, earning a disgruntled snort from the polar bear, who was thrown from his lap. Canada didn't care though. He snatched the phone from its cradle, and slammed talk with shaking fingers. "Hello?"

"Matthew. It's me."

Canada breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of Japan's voice, but tensed again at how weary he sounded. "Are you alright? How bad is it? Where are you?"

There was a soft chuckle from the other end. "Yes, I'm fine. But it's pretty bad. I'm not sure how long the cleanup will take. I'm staying at China's place right now."

"Screw that, you have to come stay here! I'll worry for days if you don't."

"I don't want to be a bother…"

"No bother, just be on the first flight out of Beijing to Ottawa, got it?"

"You're persistence is rather refreshing at this time. Alright, I'll probably be there early tomorrow."

"I'll be at the airport." He promised.

"Thank you."

{}}{{}

When Japan stepped off the plane, he was immediately tackled by a clearly exhausted, and worried Canadian. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"For now."

After pulling away from the hug, Canada looked the smaller man over up, and down, frowning at how tired he looked. "How bad is it?"

"I've had worse times, but…" He didn't want to go into detail about just how bad it really was. Needless to say, he'd probably have a few new scars. "Really, there's no need for you to look so worried. You'll get wrinkles."

"Well then I'll look as old as you act, and we'll be even." He teased, letting his hand grab Japan's and lead him to the baggage claim. "Now you look like you need a stack of pancakes, and a twelve hour sleep, so let's hop to it!"

Canada's back was turned, so he missed the grateful smile that spread itself onto Kiku's face. The smaller man didn't say a word, just allowed himself to be dragged around by the Canadian, who suddenly seemed to be brimming with boundless energy. 'It must've been the worry that made him so tired.' He found himself thinking. 'I know I feel better too, now that I'm here.'

"That one's yours, right? The black one with the Hello Kitty tag?"

Japan's face darkened. He'd forgotten that he'd used _that _bag, but Matthew didn't seem to want to make a joke about it. "Yes, that's it."

"So where's Pochi? He's okay, right?"

"Yes, Yao's taking care of him. I thought that it would be best to leave him behind, given how your Kuma reacted last time."

Matthew chuckled at the memory of Kumajirou growling like a thunderstorm at the tiny (dog?) and then glaring at it for the entire week it was there. The poor animal had lost a fair bit of fur from stress.

{}}{{}

The Canadian hailed them a cab, and quickly gave the man directions back to his apartment, before slumping back into the seat. He turned to ask Kiku something, but the nation was already asleep. Smiling, he pulled the man's head to rest on his shoulder, and contented himself to watch the streets blur by, comforted just by the fact that the weight was there. Japan was _there._

{}}+{{}

Thanks for reading~!

Yeah, I wrote most of this right after I heard about the earthquake, so it's not exactly up to date at all, but I figured I'd finish it. Better late than never!

And with this, I'm pretty sure I've squeezed all the story I can think of out of this plot bunny, so I'll just leave it like this, and hope you enjoyed it! I'll miss you guys!


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